praha

Not sure I take kindly to this Robbo article. Does he do any research? http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/colin-sylvia-retired-after-failing-to-maximise-his-immense-talent-writes-mark-robinson/story-e6frf3e3-1227325516212 "Leaders" at Melbourne when he arrived: David Neitz James McDonald Jeff White Adam Yze To name a few.

Probably also had something to do with the likes of Moloney and Sylvia being at the club and feeling entitled.

WE'RE A CHANCE, DAMMIT!

Titus O'Reily is definitely a Melbourne man.

They average 50 more disposals but we average 20 more contested possessions. They're the worst rebounding team in the comp, whereas we're ranked 6th. We're second with tackles at 77 whereas they're last with 53 per game. They average 9 more inside 50s than us. We both average 3.8 entries per goal, but they kick more goals per game. This is very winnable. Much like Richmond, they thrive in space and go forward quickly. They have more talent up forward than the Toiges so we need to play a slow, stoppage-based game again. We need to hit them hard and stop their run. It's going to be another slog for 2-3 quarters before opening up for one team in the last. Bookmark it. We're a chance. Get numbers around the ball. We're pretty even on stoppages (we average 2 more per game) and we're pretty even in center clearances and clearances around the ground. Nullify their run. If Fyfe and the like are getting clearances across our half-forward, that's fine: let them bomb it forward like Richmond did on Friday. Our backline will chop them up again. But we need to keep this down to a bog, and be similarly efficient going forward. I think Richmond started the game with like 15 inside-50s for 1 goals, whereas we had 3 for like 6 inside-50s. That sort of efficiency both forward and back over the course of a game will mark down a win.

Channel 7 had a segment on this and interviewed a mother who lost her son to a one-hit punch. Of course she criticised Clarko. Cringeworthy stuff. We live in a fairyland society where it's even immoral to defend yourself. She said he shouldn't have done it because he's a role model. Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. I'd have done the same thing.

tl;dr The handballing isn't great.

Well, what is a "quality" win? A four-quarter effort against a quality side? Adelaide last year is probably a quality win. They were terribly coached and didn't make the 8 but you can't deny their talent. It was a great, consistent opponent. We haven't beaten Hawthorn, Geelong or North since 2005/2006. We haven't won in Perth for 10+ years. Can't win in Geelong, can't win at Etihad. Since 2007, are only other "quality" win was probably Collingwood on QB 2007. We haven't beaten them since. We will push Geelong, Hawthorn, North, Collingwood this year. We will win at Etihad. The quality wins are coming.

Hit the post on half-time siren. Heart's not in it. Confirmed going to Freo.

He was not good last night. Roos is clutching at straws. How can he bag a player after we just beat a team by 5 goals? Of course he is going to support him. He was in 2nd gear and was probably one of if not our worst. It's hard to stand by him. I'm not sure he has a place in this team anymore. I'd much rather Pedo or even Grimes.

In my work tipping, I was the only one of 22. Same in my girlfriend's only one of 16.

They did nothing with it.

So...you're backing Richmond?

I imagine it'll be Michie due to lack of game time and 5-day break. JKH is not quite the "x-factor" some make him out to be. Contributor, sure, but hasn't really turned a game like he did against the Tigers in the pre-season last year. Michie has the potential to give us some real midfield lift in the 2nd half. Hopefully no one gets injured which would force him on early.

To be more specific, it's Legend, Redleg and Trident MFC members only.

I hope he goes for 650k. We'll get another pick straight after our inevitable top 10 pick for ladder position. That said, Howe has the potential to be a very good player and has been very serviceable since Roos arrived. Sweeping half back that will learn a lot from H. But he's not worth more than 450k.

He marketable and recognisable. Still only ranked 100 in the league. Has a face and demeanour that stands out, easy for people to remember. He needs to go up a level though.

Not getting my hopes up...it's hard not to, though. I'll be filthy if we lose this, but if we do, I want it to go down to the wire.

He really, reallllllly isn't. Both figuratively and literally.

Contacted the club.

What's an "effective" tackle, though? Is this stat taken? Because you can "tackle" someone and get it added to your stat sheet, but if the player you're tackling is able to dump the ball off to an opponent with an effective possession, then the tackle isn't really "effective", is it? Watts can make a tackle, they're just not very effective.

What else establishes "culture" if not performance, because you said performance is not a big concern? Every player needs to perform consistently. If they do, you win games of football. Say performance doesn't matter seems at odds with your claim he is trying to "change the culture". They'll just play it the night before. If it's a Tuesday night, I imagine it would carry over from the previous round, and the ANZAC Day clash the next day would be the start of the next round. In 2006, ANZAC Day fell on a Tuesday, so it was part of the round from that weekend. The following year it was a Wednesday, so it was the start of the next round. So I imagine any ANZAC Eve clash on a Tuesday night would be the end of the round, with the next day being the start of the next round.

Here are some ideas: Clubs that finish in the top 8 must pay a luxury tax, which is a percentage of the acquired player's salary, with the percentage increasing the further up the ladder you go. For example, Hawthorn finished first last year, and then signed Frawley to, say, $650k a year. They finished first so they pay, let's say, a 20% luxury tax on his salary (which doesn't contribute to the salary cap). So they'd have to pay a further $130,000 to the league for the acquisition of the player. Alternatively, create a "transfer fee", which is paid to the club losing the player, but only if they finish below a certain point on the ladder. That'll "equal" things up quickly if lower teams are losing out: more money in the coffers equals more money on football development. I don't see how this is a solution for the growing gap. If Melbourne played on the national stage *more* during 2012-2014, it would have only further damaged the club's brand. Broadcasters have a lot of say in fixturing and it's not good for the game if poor sides are put on the national stage. The reality is that good football equals better exposure. I understand that the catch-22 is that more exposure equals further reach of your brand, and the less exposure your brand has the less people are interested which means fewer members and less money. But you have to look at it both ways: it's not good for the sport or the league if bad teams are the highlight of the league during primetime. But it's also bad for the sport and league if lower clubs don't get exposure which helps them expand their brand. For one, Melbourne needs home games against the likes of Essendon, Richmond, Hawthorn, Carlton and even Geelong. We constantly get away games but then get home games against Fremantle. From a business perspective I'd rather travel to Perth to play Freo if that meant we got a home game against one of those teams (even in NT). Isn't this already the case? On a case-by-case basis. Melbourne in 2012, 2013 should not have been paying the full cap.

You mean he hates the contested ball and has the face of a tailor from the 1950s?